Xu Wei and Xu Wenchang actually rushed from Shaoxing to Ningbo to join him. This was something Xu Yan could never have imagined!
No matter what, Xu Yan was extremely excited after seeing the business card!
Who was Xu Wei? He was known alongside Xie Jin and Yang Shen as one of the "Three Talents of the Ming Dynasty," the founder of the "Qingteng School of Painting." He was a versatile scholar skilled in cursive calligraphy, the qin, a master of music, and a lover of opera. In later times, he was known as the "Hexagonal All-Around Warrior."
Of course, the most profound impression Xu Wei left on the world was that he served as Hu Zongxian's aide, helping him capture major pirates such as Xu Hai and Wang Zhi.
After the initial excitement, Xu Yan soon calmed down. At this moment, Xu Wei must have been in a difficult time: his family had fallen on hard times, he had failed the imperial examinations many times, and his wife had passed away.
In terms of age, Xu Wei is only about ten years older than Xu Yan. With such a bleak future, he must be desperate inside.
This is truly a great opportunity sent by God!
Xu Yan has decided to take Xu Wei in. Whether keeping him for his own use or recommending him to Zhu Wan in the future is a good choice.
But he changed into a light blue Taoist robe, put on a fu hat, and walked towards the flower hall.
When he arrived in front of the flower hall, Xu Yan straightened his sleeves again before stepping in with confidence.
At this moment, Xu Wei was already waiting in the flower hall. When he saw Xu Yan coming, he hurried forward and bowed.
"Xu Wei greets the young master."
Xu Yan hurriedly helped Xu Wei up and said with a smile, "Brother Wen, you are so polite."
He observed carefully and found that Xu Wei was wearing a square flat scarf on his head, a long shirt made of jade-colored silk cloth, wide sleeves with white edges, and a white soft scarf hanging from the belt.
The lanshan was the standard attire for students, but this one, perhaps from being washed so many times, had become slightly pale. Xu Yan also noticed a patch on Xu Wei's right shoulder. Although it was made of a similarly colored fabric, it was still distinguishable with a closer look.
Xu Wei had a square face, delicate eyebrows and eyes, a mustache, and a beard on his chin.
But he was obviously malnourished, his face was pale, and his eyes were red from congestion, making him look very haggard.
This is so tragic.
"Please take a seat."
Xu Yan pulled Xu Wei to sit down and then sat down himself. Seeing that Xu Wei was a little reserved, he took the initiative to break the ice and said, "Brother Wen is a friend of Brother Lu Qing, and he is also a friend of me, Xu Yan. Brother Wen, please call me Yi Shi."
Unexpectedly, Xu Wei shook his head and said, "Etiquette cannot be abandoned. Since I have come to seek refuge with you, I should observe etiquette."
Xu Yan hadn't expected him to be so stubborn, so he just went along with him for now. "Since you're here, settle down and enjoy your stay. I'll have someone prepare a room for you right away. If it's inconvenient for you, I'll buy you a house outside the palace."
Xu Yan's enthusiastic attitude was beyond Xu Wei's expectations.
He cupped his hands and sighed, "How could Xu deserve such great kindness from you, sir?"
Xu Yan thought to himself, "You're too modest. You're a treasure trove, a wise man." With you, why worry about unrest in the southeast, or the Japanese invasion? You're a gift from heaven.
But he remained expressionless.
"Brother Wenchang, I, Xu, am a man of great loyalty. Since you are Brother Luqing's friend, I will definitely look after you."
"Thank you, sir!"
Xu Wei was so moved that he almost cried.
Although he had the title of scholar, he could neither afford to hire a servant to hold a tin-masked umbrella for him nor could he afford to sit in a sedan chair carried by two people.
It can be said that apart from this robe, he has lost all the dignity of a student.
In this situation, Xu Yan made him feel respected again, which was something he could never feel in his hometown of Shaoxing.
"I heard that you won first place in both the county and prefectural examinations. This is truly a cause for celebration."
Xu Wei thought that he should always say nice things when meeting a new boss, so he thought for a moment and said so.
Xu Yanhe smiled and said, "Just better luck."
Seeing Xu Yan's modesty, Xu Wei shook his head and said, "Is it just luck that one could come up with a famous line like 'Each generation has talented people, each leading the trend for hundreds of years'? To be honest, I came here because I admire your talent and reputation."
Xu Yan was sweating secretly, thinking that this was the reason.
So the question is, when he writes poetry in the future, should he consider removing some of Xu Wei's poems, leaving some for this great Ming Dynasty poet? Otherwise, wouldn't it be embarrassing if Xu Wei couldn't write a single poem?
Of course, this thought only flashed through my mind.
"I heard that the young master studied under the great scholar Xushan. No wonder he has such talent."
Xu Yan thought to himself, I have only studied with Mr. Qian for a month, and I have only learned the basics.
"Ahem, Brother Wen, my master has always told me to keep a low profile. Please stop praising me."
Xu Wei suddenly felt admiration. "I never thought you were so knowledgeable at such a young age. Mr. Xushan was right. I...I can't wait to serve you."
Xu Yan: “…”
After a moment's silence, Xu Yan cleared his throat and said, "Brother Wen, you've been exhausted from the journey. Please stay here and rest for a few days. After you've rested, can we discuss serving you?"
Seeing Xu Yan say this, Xu Wei nodded tactfully.
"In that case, I will not bother you any more. I will take my leave."
Xu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, and then called Shuangxi, asking him to take Xu Wei to their residence to settle down first.
To be honest, Xu Yan really hadn't thought about what position to assign Xu Wei.
Although the Xu family is wealthy, they basically employ elderly people who have worked with their father for many years.
Xu Yan had no say in the silk shop or rice store, and the housekeeper was in charge of all the affairs in the mansion.
After much thought, Xu Yan realized that the only thing he could decide on was the newly opened bookstore "Miaofengtang".
After thinking about it carefully, he really needed someone he could trust to run his bookstore business.
After all, Xu Yan was going to take the imperial examination, so he had to stay behind the scenes and couldn't personally take care of the business.
As for Xu Wei, Xu Yan didn't lie to him. After all, this great talent never passed the imperial examination in his entire life.
I can only say that this is fate.
As for Xu Wei's character, there is naturally nothing to fault.
Historically, after becoming Hu Zongxian's aide, Xu Wei worked diligently and offered advice and suggestions to help Hu Zongxian achieve great military exploits.
Even many of Hu Zongxian's memorials were drafted with the help of Xu Wei.
Later, Yan Song fell from power, Hu Zongxian was dismissed from office and imprisoned, where he died.
Xu Wei was deeply distressed and wrote "Self-Epitaph" in anger, intending to commit suicide to be buried with Hu Zongxian. Fortunately, he was rescued.
But now when Xu Wei went to Xu Yan, he was even more destitute than when he went to Hu Zongxian in history.
Xu Yan took him in without hesitation and treated him with the courtesy of a state hero.
How could Xu Wei not be grateful for such timely help?
It is said that a gentleman will die for his confidant, and Xu Wei was such a person.
Xu Yan was sure that Xu Wenchang would be loyal to him.
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